Moreover, the small particles resul

Moreover, the small particles resulted from the higher PH values tended to form aggregates, as can be seen in Fig. 3. As explained by Augusto et al. (2012b), cell disruption and subsequent fragmentation not only increased the surface area of the suspended particles, but also changed the properties of the particles and serum. Cell fragmentation exposed and released wall constituents such as pectins and proteins, improving the particle–particle interactions and resulting in aggregates. In fact, the authors observed an important increase in thixotropy of the tomato juice due to the HPH, which directly describe the changes on juice microstructure.
Similar and complementary results can be seen in the SEM images (Fig. 4), where a network microstructure with a progressively smaller grid in relation to the PH can be seen.
Therefore, the results obtained for the microstructure confirm the changes in PSD and rheological behavior (Augusto et al., 2012b and Augusto et al., 2013) occurring in the tomato juice as a result of HPH, and suggest other changes in the physical-stability of the product.